I am Jia Dongjin in the Siheyuan (Courtyard House)

Chapter 13 Sauerkraut Fish

"Who cares about your secret recipe? Don't you even know that I am a genuine successor of the Tan family cuisine?"

Sha Zhu wasn't really stupid. When he was rational, he was much smarter than the average person. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become the head chef at the steel mill. He was a chef with real skills, not just an ordinary chef who cooked in large batches. How could he have been fooled by Jia Dongjin, the street hustler?

"Silly Zhu, you're ruthless! Don't come to our house to steal our secrets later, and don't peek while we're delivering fish to the old man. You'll embarrass the men of Beijing." Jia Dongjin was short of money and did have some connections, so he shut the kid down with words. As long as he put on a good performance, he was sure he could swindle some money from He Yuzhu.

The so-called secret recipe for cooking fish is actually pickled fish. These days, you need ration coupons to buy oil. Jia Dongjin didn't have a job and couldn't get enough oil, so he had to find another way.

He chose pickled fish, because as long as you have Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, pickled cabbage, and white wine, you can make a delicious dish.

As a seasoned bachelor and homebody in his previous life, being particular about food and being able to cook are among Jia Dongjin's essential skills.

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about it. Just deal with Xiaoyu. Banggeng, you just watch what your uncle can do."

With the seasonings ready, Jia Dongjin skillfully sliced ​​the snow-white, translucent fish meat with his cleaver, then added the purchased pork belly and salt to marinate it. Once the fish bone and sauerkraut soup in the pot boiled, he added the sliced ​​fish meat to the pot.

A few minutes later, the aroma of pickled fish filled the courtyard and drifted into the east wing of Yi Zhonghai's house across the street, where it was also caught by He Yuzhu, who was drinking alone.

"Brother, what kind of fish did Dongjin make? It smells so good!" The little girl, He Yushui, is only 14 years old and still a little bean sprout. She is eating the leftovers from the canteen that He Yuzhu brought back—a lunchbox of stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings.

"Don't speak, let me smell it carefully." He Yuzhu raised his hand to stop his sister from speaking.

"There are chili peppers, pickled cabbage, and yes, Sichuan peppercorns..." As a chef, He Yuzhu was indeed professional. He could almost figure out the ingredients just by the aroma. He didn't know how it tasted, but it should be delicious.

Looking at the peanuts and stir-fried cabbage with meat on the table, He Yuzhu suddenly lost interest. He got up and walked around the room a few times before finally succumbing to his curiosity.

"Brother Dongjin, it smells really good, but I wonder what the color and appearance are like?" He Yuzhu rubbed his hands together and shamelessly came to the front of the Jia family's house.

"Silly Zhu, don't try that on me. You think you can fool me about my secret recipe? There's no way you can even get a door to it." Jia Dongjin rushed out of his house and blocked his own doorway. He chuckled, "It's only ten yuan. Ten yuan won't break the bank. With a few modifications, you can make two dishes. Don't be so naive."

He Yuzhu twitched his nose frantically, but he couldn't even see the dishes. No matter how professional he was, deducing the recipe was just wishful thinking.

After struggling painfully for a few minutes, He Yuzhu chose to surrender. With boundless pride, he slapped down a large black cross: "Fine, ten bucks it is!"

Taking the ten yuan from He Yuzhu, Jia Dongjin still looked righteous. He squinted and said, "Silly Zhu, you're different from your neighbors. They'll definitely think ten yuan is a loss. As a chef, as a successor of the Tan family cuisine, recipes are family heirlooms. You should know how much they're worth. Besides this ten yuan, you also owe me a favor. Otherwise, I'd rather return the money to you. It's only because we're neighbors and I think you're a good person that I reluctantly sold it to you."

"Okay, Dongjin, you're awesome. I owe you a favor." He Yuzhu was about to burst out of his wits. He reached out and grabbed Jia Dongjin, ready to rush into the Jia family and immediately taste this new dish.

"I have women in my house. What are you doing barging in like this, a grown man? Hurry up and go home. My mom and Uncle have already agreed that you can take the food and drinks and we'll go to Uncle's house to drink and eat fish." Jia Dongjin couldn't let He Yuzhu in. At that moment, the family was cleaning up the fish catch, and he had hidden more than ten kilograms of fish in the sacks used for packing the fishing nets.

Jia Dongjin instructed the small fish from the catch to be roasted over a low flame to make dried fish. They are crispy and fragrant, making them an excellent snack to accompany drinks, and children also enjoy them as treats.

Other larger fish will be cooked together with pickled cabbage in one pot, so the family can have a good meal.

Summer weather is too hot to make salted fish. Fish weighing more than half an ounce are hard to preserve and can only be eaten on the spot. This is a good opportunity for the family to improve their diet and supplement their nutrition.

"Is this still fish? It looks like flower petals and smells so good! Oh dear, Banggeng, my little grandson, eat slowly, don't burn yourself!" Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were stunned when they saw the pickled fish in the bowl. It wasn't until Banggeng cried out in pain from the heat that the two women came back to normal.

They were used to hardship, knowing only radishes and cabbage, and considering a braised pork belly or stewed chicken a holiday. They had never known what it meant to live a decent life, yet they could make dishes look as beautiful as flowers. They couldn't comprehend that decades later, someone would send roasted lamb legs by helicopter, nor did they know what steak or French snails were.

Jia Zhangshi was old, and she had heard He Daqing, the father of Shazhu, mention boiled cabbage in clear broth, saying that the Empress Dowager liked to eat it, as well as chestnut flour buns.

Boiled cabbage in clear broth is too far-fetched, but the flower-like pickled fish is something I can actually eat.

"Banggeng, let it cool down before you eat. Don't eat pickled cabbage with fish. There's plenty of fish today, enough for you to eat." Jia Dongjin took the bowl, scooped the fish slices into the small bowl with a spoon, and handed it to Banggeng.

"It's hot and the fish won't keep well. We don't have that much oil at home. The larger fish weigh about six or seven pounds. We'll stew them all in this pot of sauerkraut later. If we can't finish them, Mom can use them to repay favors. There's plenty of fish meat today. Try to leave the fish fillets for the clams, but be careful of the fish bones getting stuck in them. I'll take a bowl with me to Uncle's house for a drink later."

Little Banggeng had been craving fish for a long time and couldn't wait to put it in his mouth. Without even looking up, he picked up a piece of fish, blew on it, and stuffed it into his mouth.

He wasn't afraid of the spiciness and ate five slices of fish in a row before looking up with satisfaction and saying, "Uncle, I've never eaten such delicious fish before. It's even more fragrant than meat."

"Eat as much as you like, I'm just afraid you'll get tired of it later." Jia Dongjin scooped a few more slices of fish for Banggeng and laughed heartily, "This pot of fish weighs about seven or eight pounds. I'll take half to Uncle Yi's house, and the rest should be enough for you. If it's not enough, just throw in any fish that weighs more than an ounce, and the taste will be about the same."

"Alright, go on your way. Don't forget to ask that old man for help finding a job." Jia Zhangshi ate with great enthusiasm, while Qin Huairu was a little more reserved, but she ate quite slowly.

Unlike Banggeng, who was engrossed in eating, Qin Huairu picked up a piece of fish, took a gentle bite, and her snow-white teeth revealed an indescribable beauty.

Under the lamplight, the woman's face glowed, and the pallor on her face paled. A beautiful woman looks good no matter what she does. Jia Dongjin turned his head with difficulty and left the house.

As Jia Dongjin left, Jia Zhangshi began to coax him again, "Huai Ru, I told you it was a good fit. Dongjin has skills in repairing bicycles and catching fish. As long as you find a job, you'll have a good life."

"Mom, the matter has been settled, please don't say anything more." Thinking of Jia Dongjin's inappropriate touching that day, Qin Huairu still shook her head.

"Huai Ru, Huai Ru, your mother has her pride too. I'll say this one last time today. Holding hands means he cares about you. Dong Jin isn't a bad person. I advise you to think it over again." Madam Jia picked up a soup spoon and scooped a full spoonful of fish for Qin Huai Ru, looking at her eldest daughter-in-law with hope.

Jia Zhangshi is very realistic; she only wants the Jia family to be whole again. When Qin Huairu delivered braised pig intestines to Jia Dongjin in the morning, her hope was rekindled.

"Mom, I really don't want to. Dongjin is three years younger than me. I'm a widow with a child, and I'm pregnant." Qin Huairu was still bothered by what Jia Dongjin had done that day, and she couldn't help but shed tears as she said this.

Qin Huairu looked at her son and saw that Banggeng was eating with his head down, completely oblivious to what the adults were saying. She felt a pang of sadness. She finished removing the bones from the fish slices in her bowl and put them all into Banggeng's bowl. "Banggeng, if you're afraid of the spiciness, you can rinse the fish in water. That way it won't be spicy. Be careful of the fish bones."

"I don't care anymore. You'd better think it over yourself. Don't regret it later." Jia Zhangshi angrily picked up the soup spoon again, scooped a large spoonful of fish for herself, and slowly began to eat the fish.

Jia Dongjin hadn't quite grasped the situation yet. Four pounds of fish seemed like a lot, but there wasn't much fish meat that could be sliced. The woman also had a big appetite, and they finished the first pot of fish very quickly.

Seeing that there wasn't much fish, Qin Huairu put the fish meat and head from the sauerkraut fish into a plate, went to the stove to pour the remaining sauerkraut into the pot, and then poured in the cleaned fish, making a big pot of sauerkraut fish again. At this time, eating her fill was the most important thing, and there was no such thing as hygiene.

"Banggeng, don't be in a hurry. There will be plenty of fish slices tonight. Don't eat cornbread. It will save us some food." Seeing that Banggeng had finished eating the fish slices and was still asking for more, Jia Zhangshi put some fish slices on the plate for him and ate the fish head herself.

"Huai Ru, do you see? A son is still the best. You should raise Bang Geng well, and you can enjoy your old age. That's a good life." Unable to persuade Qin Huai Ru to marry Jia Dong Jin, Jia Zhang Shi hinted at becoming a widow.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the soup spoon into the pot.